1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to integrated circuits, and particularly to a digital integrated circuit testing and characterization system and method that provides for high-speed testing and characterization of digital IC prototypes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many university researchers and chip designers in small companies are faced with a huge problem when it comes to developing new electronic circuits or products, viz., the cost of testing. In order to verify their product/project outcome (i.e., the developed electronic chip), they need to fabricate a prototype, test it and characterize its performance. With the current speeds of a few gigahertz, these circuits would require very expensive testers and scopes.
The high cost of such testing equipment is definitely prohibitive for most universities. At the same time, trends in electronic design have converged in the last few years to what is known as an IP-based design. This is a design methodology based on re-using existing circuit blocks, namely the IP (intellectual property) blocks. These blocks are designed and verified (through prototyping and testing) by IP vendors and are then used and re-used by ASIC (application-specific integrated circuits) designers. This is a result of two factors, viz., very short time-to-market windows fueled by fierce competition and ever-increasing consumer expectations, and the high cost of design (designers' salaries). In fact, at the present time, most integrated circuits designed for electronic consumer products are being assembled from pre-designed, silicon-proven IP blocks.
Chip IPs are electronic circuits that are developed and licensed either as soft IPs (i.e., modeled using synthesizable Hardware-description languages, such as VHDL and Verilog) or as hard IPs (layout macros). In both cases, the IP vendors have to show Silicon proof of their IP's performance (i.e., performance figures based on prototyping). Developing a cost-effective solution that would enable circuit designers to prototype, test and characterize their IPs at operational speeds would be highly desirable.
Thus, a digital integrated circuit testing and characterization system and method solving the aforementioned problems is desired.